I am in the same boat as RDyer, a grass roots member who has been given the opportunity to follow the dream of aviation by the excellent work done by the LAA.
The engineering team, magazine editor and some members of the Board are doing a great job and deserve our full support; however this topic has, for me, raised questions, concerns and some anger.
I don’t normally post on these forums – I don’t have anything interesting to say, but I do read the posts of others on this and other forums and there are undoubtedly some strong feelings on both sides of this argument.
For once, I feel the need to voice an opinion before I get back to the workshop and bash a few more rivets!
I personally would not want an award that either I felt was not deserved or more importantly that my fellow aviators didn’t feel I deserved. I therefore cannot understand the pursuit of this matter by Ms Curtis-Taylor.
There is obviously doubt over the facts surrounding her aviation feats and, as yet, Ms Curtis-Taylor has failed to answer any of the allegations or suggestions put to her either on this or any other forum. It would have been very easy to silence her critics if they were incorrect but instead she has chosen to attack those who question these irregularities with statements about sexism, misogyny and personal grievances.
She has attacked her fellow aviators for wanting answers to reasonable questions and has gone on the attack against the LAA board, membership and men in general.
As I fall into two of these categories, I am aggrieved at the suggestion that this is about anything other than her suitability for the Bill Woodhams trophy for a feat of navigation.
Surely, given the evidence now available, it is obvious to everyone that this was not a feat of navigation deserving of this award. In addition, I would suggest that her behaviour and actions question her role as an ambassador for aviation and more importantly female aviators.
Up to now, I too have always trusted the Board to make the right decisions on behalf of the membership. However, Ms Curtis-Taylors failure to answer her critics and the attacks on this association have me believing the right decision was made at the last AGM and I question why certain members of the Board feel otherwise.
I have never voted at the AGM but this matter has questioned my confidence in the board and my proxy vote is in the post.
To Ms Curtis-Taylor I say:
Do the decent thing and request withdrawal of the motions.
You have already lost the respect of many fellow aviators, male and female both inside and outside of the LAA. Pursuing this action is not going to change that but you might just earn a little back by doing the right thing. Having criticised the Chair, the Board and the Membership, surely your continued membership of the LAA has to be considered. If you love and wish to promote aviation for ALL as much as you claim, then let the LAA get on with their task and avoid the divisive outcome that these motions will cause at the AGM, whichever way the vote goes.
I believe the LAA chairman and board collectively have been exemplary in their handling of this matter and have given ALL members the opportunity to be heard and treated fairly. However, the motions put forward should, in my opinion, have come from the aggrieved member, not members of the board.
The motion put forward by the VP Stuart Jackson was particularly critical of the association and begs the question of his continued presence at the top of the association. His motion and some of the posts by previous board members on this forum suggest they have lost touch with the membership and the values important to grass roots members.
After this motion, I suggest those who instigated it, consider their position, whichever way it goes.
Kelvin Weston
Bloke-in-a-plane (soon, I hope)